Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 10:16:31 +0500
From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com
Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 03/04/96
AIDS Daily Summary
March 4, 1996
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
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"FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's
Treatment"
"FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days"
"Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug"
"Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS"
"Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy"
"Nationline: Support Threatened"
"Drug Holds Off HIV Damage"
"Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS"
"Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic
Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV"
"Helping PWAs Find Jobs"
************************************************************
"FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's
Treatment"
Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B3; McGinley, Laurie
Ending one of the most remarkable weeks in the history of the
AIDS epidemic, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory
panel recommended approval on Friday of Merck & Co.'s Crixivan
(indinavir). FDA Commissioner David Kessler stated that the
agency would approve the protease inhibitor by the time the
pharmaceutical concern was ready to ship it, noting that "we
don't want to hold up their launch." Merck Research Laboratories
President Edward Skolnick said that his company would be prepared
to start distributing the drug in mid-March or early April of
this year. Crixivan was recommended for approval following the
presentation of studies which found that 40 percent of the
patients who took the drug alone and 90 percent of the patients
who took the drug in combination with AZT and 3TC had their HIV
fall below detectable levels. Related Story: Investor's Business
Daily (03/04) P. A19
"FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days"
Washington Post (03/02/96) P. A8; Schwartz, John
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Friday
Abbott Laboratories' protease inhibitor Norvir, known generically
as ritonavir, just 72 days after Abbott submitted its
application. The agency awarded full approval for use of the
drug in late-stage AIDS patients and limited approval for its use
in others. Abbott spokesman Doug Petkus said that Norvir will be
available in two weeks. The rapid approval--the fastest AIDS
drug approval ever--was supported by Patrick Korten, a spokesman
for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, who
said that the approval was "good news" for AIDS patients, but
noted that drugs for other diseases are not receiving such rapid
authorization. Related Story: Chicago Tribune (03/02) P. 2-1
"Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug"
USA Today (03/04/96) P. 1D; Painter, Kim
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval of
Abbott Laboratories ritonavir and the recommendation for approval
of Merck & Co.'s indinavir has given HIV-infected individuals
some of the best news in a long time. Timothy Rodrigues, of the
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, says, "There's a great deal of
hope that we haven't seen in the epidemic for a very long time."
There is, however, also concern about the length of efficacy of
the new drugs and about how many people will be able to buy them.
Activists worry that the new drugs will cost at least $5,800 a
year, the price of Hoffmann-La Roche's already approved
saquinavir, and note that if the drugs must be combined, the
total could easily reach $15,000 to $20,000. Furthermore, Troy
Petenbrink of the National Association of People With AIDS
contends that if insurers and government programs that buy drugs
for the uninsured do not pay for these treatments, the majority
of the patients will not receive them.
"Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS"
Washington Post (03/04/96) P. A2
Harvard University researcher Max Essex reported in Friday's
issue of Science that HIV-1 subtype e from heterosexual patients
in Thailand grew much faster and reached significantly higher
levels in Langerhans' cells than HIV-1 subtype b, the most common
subtype in the United States. Although HIV's preferred target is
a specific class of immune-system cell, Essex wanted to determine
whether the two viral subtypes were equally able to penetrate the
Langerhans' cells, which line the vagina. HIVe--which is most
common in Asia and Africa--has been identified in only a few
Americans. According to Essex, however, if that subtype spreads
in the United States, heterosexual women could be at an even
greater risk. Related Story: Boston Globe (03/02) P. 7
"Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy"
Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B1; Hamilton, David P.
Naoto Kan, Japan's health and welfare minister, revealed his own
ministry's involvement in the spread of HIV just weeks after
taking office. In early February, Kan criticized Health Ministry
officials for permitting the spread of HIV through untreated
blood plasma and blood products in the 1980s and released related
incriminating documents whose existence had been denied for
years. Soon after, Kan apologized to the nearly 2,000 Japanese
hemophiliacs who became HIV-infected from the tainted blood
products, noting that "until now, the government's responsibility
has never been clear." Moreover, Kan says he will not end his
crusade with the blood products case--he has already repealed
Japan's leprosy quarantine policy and says he will call for
policy changes that would enable physicians to use AIDS
treatments approved for use overseas without going through the
ministry's time-consuming approval system.
"Nationline: Support Threatened"
USA Today (03/04/96) P. 3A; Kriss, Claudine
The Catholic Church may discontinue its support of social
agencies and hospitals if it loses a wrongful-death suit filed by
a couple who attribute their child's death to clergy at a
church-supported group home in Ohio, according to Bishop James
Griffin. The couple claims that their son, who died of
AIDS-related complications in January at age 44, contracted HIV
from members of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd during
sexual attacks. The church has rejected any allegations that
either it was responsible or that the clergy members were the
cause.
"Drug Holds Off HIV Damage"
Toronto Globe and Mail (03/01/96) P. A8; Immen, Wallace
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal claim that early
treatment of HIV infection with the drug 3TC can delay the
destruction of the body's immune system. According to Dr. Mark
Wainberg and others, 3TC "freezes" HIV's ability to mutate,
thereby enabling the immune system to catch up. Wainberg, the
director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, whose laboratory
developed 3TC, therefore proposes in the journal Science to "use
3TC to stabilize the immune function and then hit the virus with
other drugs."
"Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS"
Reuters (03/01/96)
A virucide derived from pomegranates may be an effective means of
protecting against HIV, according to British scientists.
Professor Gordon Stewart, Nottingham University's head of applied
biochemistry and food science, says the substance, which was
discovered during tests to detect food poisoning bacteria, is
very active over short exposure times and notes that "if there is
viral contact [the pomegranate substance] would act as an
anti-viral agent." Professor Steven Myint, a virologist from
Leicester University, says that the virucide will require at
least two years of development before it can be made commercial.
The British government has awarded a $68,000 grant to Rio
Pharmaceuticals to perform a 12-month assessment of the
substance.
"Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic
Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV"
Nature Medicine (02/96) Vol.2, No.2, P. 230; Neurath, Robert A.;
Jiang, Shibo; Strick, Nathan; et al.
Because HIV targets T lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, and
dendritic cells, compounds that block HIV-CD4 binding are
therefore expected to inhibit viral transmission. Robert Neurath
and colleagues at the Laboratory of Biochemical Virology at the
New York Blood Center found that bovine (Beta)-lactoglobulin
(B-LG), an abundant milk protein and the major component of whey,
modified by 3-hydroxphthalic anhydride (3HP-B-LG), blocked HIV
and SIV from binding with CD4, the virus' common receptor. The
compound blocked the virus by binding to the CD4 surface
glycoproteins and monoclonal antibodies specific for HIV. The
researchers also found that the compound inhibited HIV-1, HIV-2,
and SIV infection. Unlike anti-HIV drugs which the virus becomes
resistant to, agents targeted to the CD4 receptor for HIV can
inhibit a wide range of HIV-1 isolates and are less likely to
stimulate drug-resistant strains of the virus. In addition,
because the compound is inexpensive and widely available, the
researchers suggest that it would be a good candidate for
reducing the frequency of HIV transmission. They say that
3HP-B-LG could be preapplied topically to prevent sexual
transmission of the virus by generating a barrier against
infection. After the compound is removed, they theorize, CD4
receptors would remain blocked.
"Helping PWAs Find Jobs"
Washington Blade (02/16/96) Vol.27, No.7, P. 8; Johnson, Wendy
Finding a job can be especially stressful for people with HIV,
but in Washington, D.C., a 12-week program called Career Choice
can help. The program introduces people with HIV and AIDS to
sources of legal, social, and financial assistance available to
them. It is the first such support program in the country and is
funded through a $50,000 federal Choice Grant. The participants
share experiences in open discussions and hear from guest
speakers, who talk about living with HIV and AIDS and the legal
rights of "disabled" people. Working at home is a practical
choice for people with HIV and AIDS, but usually requires a
computer. Career Choice helps people acquire the necessary
materials, and focuses on the rights and protections afforded by
the Americans with Disabilities Act. Harry Hall, the director of
Development Team Inc. who designed this first-of-its-kind
program, has designed similar programs for people with physical,
learning, or chronic disabilities. One 40-year-old Career Choice
participant said the program gave him knowledge, insight, and
confidence.